The $298-million National Science Foundation-funded telescope will be the world’s largest solar telescope when it becomes operational in 2017, providing clues to the origin and development of solar storms that can affect life on Earth.

NSF has committed $20 million over 10 years for an education program at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College that will cultivate and reinforce the intersection of Hawaiian culture and knowledge with science, technology, engineering and math.